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Site eligibility for The Hare’s Corner

Applicants need to ensure that their proposed Hare’s Corner actions are

  1. NOT on designated sites (i.e. labelled Special Area of Conservation (SAC), Special Protected Area (SPA), Natural Heritage Area (NHA). Check  National Parks & Wildlife Service Designation Viewer 
  2. DOES NOT contain a historic monument. Check archaeology.ie (Historic Environment Viewer)
  3. Any planned work WON’T displace an already species-rich habitat. Species poor habitat is the target of this project – this could be improved grassland, drained wetlands, tillage areas etc. For example, please see the difference between a species-poor and a species-rich grassland site in this article on the All Ireland Pollinator Plan website.

 

Example of a species-rich (left) and a species-poor (right) grassland site (credit: pollinators.ie)

Helpful resources

FAQs

1. Why should I join ‘The Hare’s Corner’?

Well, lots of reasons, such as:

  • You will be making a meaningful contribution to help address Ireland’s climate and biodiversity emergency; your participation may improve your site’s resilience against climate change.
  • Your participation will create more space for nature on your land year-on-year and this can really add to your, and your family’s, sense of enjoyment and wellbeing;
  • You will be creating a natural legacy to be enjoyed by future generations, something to remember you by; alternatively, you can dedicate your pledge to someone dear to you and use it as a reminder of that person;
  • You may be able to use your participation to help market your food products or other farm services (tourism, education etc);
  • You may be able to use your participation as part of future initiatives such as Eco Schemes, Carbon accounting and biodiversity enhancement schemes for example;
  • You’ll have our support in the form of guidance and training and we will keep paperwork to a minimum.

2. Am I eligible to apply?

You can apply to the Hare’s Corner if:

  • You own the land in the eligible county (2024: Mayo, Galway, Leitrim, Meath) or have permission to carry out works on the said land (e.g if you are applying on behalf of a school or community group).
  • You are not a participant in ACRES or NPWS Farm Plan Scheme.
  • Your proposed site is eligible (see top of this page).

3. Are Places Limited?

Yes, places are limited by available budget so screening conditions such as suitability of the proposed site for the biodiversity measure may be used to select applications. Preference is also given to community groups and schools. In the event of oversubscription support may also be offered on a first-come first-served basis.

4. What type of sites would be most suitable for these habitats?

  • Species poor habitat is the target of this project – this could be improved grassland, drained wetlands, tillage areas etc;
  • Species-rich habitat generally isn’t eligible as we don’t want to displace existing habitats and species;
  • We want to ensure good connectivity between habitats, so we want a site with other habitats such as hedgerows or wetlands present;
  • Designated land (SAC, SPA) is not eligible as these areas are covered by other schemes and there may not be sufficient time to secure permissions for work;

5. Why can’t the project support actions on ACRES farms, NPWS farm plan farms or on designated sites?

The reason that we can’t, regrettably, fund actions (ponds, orchards, woodlands) on ACRES farms, NPWS farm plan farms, on SAC-SPA-NHA land or near listed monuments, is that this would entail layers of complexity (securing permissions etc.) and risk (double payments) which we can’t easily reconcile with our commitment to a ‘hassle-free’ experience for landowners.

6. What are the benefits of Hare’s Corners?

  • Support biodiversity: provide much needed habitat, food and shelter to a variety of wildlife.
  • Improve the site’s resilience against climate change through small scale interventions.

7. Can I discuss issues around my own site or individual circumstances with anyone from The Hare’s Corner team?

The Hare’s Corner is a ‘goodwill’ project, co-ordinated by part-time staff and volunteers at a Charity, the Burrenbeo Trust. Our mission is to support landowners to create as much space for nature as possible with whatever funding we can muster. As such, we want to keep costs low and keep things simple and hassle-free. This means we won’t generally be able to answer individual queries or accommodate individual circumstances, and for this we apologise in advance. We do commit to being as clear as possible in our communications, and as fair as we can be in all that we do. We appreciate your understanding in this regard and urge you to read all our communications carefully.

8. Who is behind this initiative and what’s its purpose?

This is a non-profit initiative co-ordinated by part-time staff and volunteers at a Charity, the Burrenbeo Trust. Our mission is to support landowners to create as much space for nature as possible with whatever funding we can muster. The project is funded by public and private funding sources. If you are a funding body, a business or a corporate group interested in supporting this initiative please contact us at [email protected] for sponsorship and partnership options.

All funders are listed below by the county and year of the project

2024: For Counties Galway, Mayo, Leitrim, Meath and Galway city

  • Local Biodiversity Actions Fund supported by the National Parks and Wildlife Service – in counties Leitrim, Meath, Galway and Galway city.
  • Meath County Council (through the Climate Action and Environment Section) for Co.Meath
  • Lifes2Good Foundation (through Wild Atlantic Nature) for Co.Mayo
  • NTR Foundation for Co.Mayo
  • FuturEnergy Ireland for Co.Leitrim
  • NTR PLC for Co.Meath
  • Greencoat Renewables PLC for Galway County and Galway city

2023: For Co. Mayo and Co.Clare

  • Lifes2Good Foundation (through Wild Atlantic Nature) for Co.Mayo
  • NTR Foundation for Co.Mayo
  • FuturEnergy Ireland for Co.Clare
  • BTH Giving fund for Co.Clare
  • Brightwind Analysis for Co.Clare
  • Clare Co.Co. LBAF fund for Co.Clare

2021-2022: For Co.Clare

  • Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM) through The European Innovation Partnerships Initiative (EIP)/Locally led schemes, by the EU Recovery Instrument Funding under the Rural Development Programme 2014-2022
  • National Parks and Wildlife Service
  • Clare County Council
  • Database development for the project was grant aided and joint funded through the Digital Innovation Programme , in partnership with Clare County Council & the Department of Rural and Community Development
  • Additional support for the project supplied by the Burren Programme.

 

 

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